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Wednesday, 2 January 2013

Israeli spy planes go on New Year’s snooping mission to Lebanon

Six Israeli military aircraft have penetrated Lebanese airspace and flown over several areas of the country in blatant violation of a UN Security Council resolution.

An Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle entered Lebanese airspace over the southern border town of Alma al-Shaab at 7:45 a.m. local time (0445 GMT) on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese military.

The remote-controlled aircraft carried out surveillance flights over several areas in southern Lebanon before it left the country’s airspace at 3:20 p.m. local time (1220 GMT) while flying over the southern village of Rmeish.

Four Israeli fighter jets crossed into Lebanon's airspace over the southern border village of Kfar Kila, located 96 kilometers (59 miles) south of Beirut, at 9:50 a.m. local time (0650 GMT).

The warplanes flew over several areas in Lebanon before leaving Lebanese airspace at 11:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) while flying over Alma al-Shaab.

In addition, an Israeli drone crossed into Lebanese airspace over the southern village of al-Naqoura, situated 91 kilometers (57 miles) south of Beirut, at 11:10 a.m. local time (0810 GMT) on Tuesday.

The aircraft made surveillance flights over several areas in southern Lebanon before it left at 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT) while flying over al-Naqoura.

Lebanon’s government, the Hezbollah resistance movement, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, have repeatedly condemned the overflights, saying they are in clear violation of UN Resolution 1701 and the country’s sovereignty.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched against Lebanon in 2006, calls on Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In 2009, Lebanon filed a complaint with the United Nations, presenting over 7,000 documents pertaining to Israeli violations of Lebanese territory.